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Saturday, September 3, 2011

I did it! I made a pillowcase dress!

I bought two pillowcases for $7 at Walmart, but even with that kind of deal, I was so afraid of messing up that I decided to practice on an old pillowcase I found in the laundry room that's no longer in use. I actually used this pillowcase for years, at least through college, and one of my girls was using it until recently. It's pretty worn and looks it, but that makes it the perfect object for my experimentation.

I made a mess of things close-up (the devil really is in the details!), but from a distance I think it looks cute.

Here's how I did it:

I cut about 5 inches off the top, then cut that five inches into two, 2.5 inch strips to make bias tape for the arm holes. Next I folded the pillowcase in half lengthwise and cut a J for the armhole (I went with 3 X 4 inches). Then I made casing for elastic on the top front and back. I used 6 inches of .5 inch width elastic across the front and 8 inches across the back so it would be a little less gathered. I folded in the ends of the strips for bias tape, then folded again making about an 3/4 inch bias tape that I sewed around the arm holes. Finally, I attached 4 pieces of 12 inch ribbon for ties. (I could have used the bias tape, but it wasn't long enough since I made it from the scraps.) The process itself wasn't difficult, but I really did struggle with the details.

Sewing in a straight or curved line is still a challenge for me. And starting and stopping. That's the worst. I can't get the reverse button on my machine to work, not sure what I'm doing wrong.

See all those lines? I know there's a more efficient way of putting this together that would look more finished. I'm going to think about this before starting my next one. I should have had my ribbon ready when I was sewing bias tape and could have attached everything at once. Maybe I need to study some of the girls dresses. Never thought I'd say that!!
Oh- and I've had this machine less than a week and it's broken already, for the second time. I'm either going to have to get mean and not allow my girls on the sewing machine or I'm going to need to get my own and relax and let them do whatever to theirs. I guess a third option would be learn to fix sewing machines. Thank goodness my husband fixed it the first time. Here's hoping he'll come home soon and fix it for me again so I can get to work on the next pillowcase dress. This is lots more fun than making cloth napkins.

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I'm an on-the-run mom to 6 kids who studied and taught exercise science in a previous life. I love all things running, nutrition, and health-related. I usually run at zero dark thirty in the morning and am often quite hungry before, during, and after my run, but I live a rich, full, blessed life with my children, family, and friends. My faith in God is my anchor, and looking to Him and His promises allows me to live fully even when life circumstances are difficult. While running gives me an appetite, my desire is to hunger and thirst for righteousness more than for physical food.

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I'm a mom to six brilliant, adorable, and hilarious kids. Their dad and I are recently divorced and I have entered a new era of single parenthood. I'm still the same person, with many of the same interests, though I'm no longer homeschooling my kids. I've been doing a lot of running over the last year, culminating in two recent ultra-marathon trail runs, and have registered for my first Ironman triathlon which will be in Boulder, CO August 3, 2014. I still love to read and can be found experimenting in my kitchen on most days. My kids keep me humble and they keep me laughing! I am blessed.